Ignition mechanism for hand grenades, projectiles, and mines



F.N.BRONDBY. IGNITION MEGHANISNI FOR HAND GRENADES, PROIECTILES, AND MINES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 3l, I9I8.

Patented May 16, 1922.

narran stares FRIDTJOF NIELSEN IBRNDBY, O CHRISTIANI, NORIVAY, .ASSIGNOR TO l1/5:1v

PERKUSSION, A BUSINESS ENT Trav OF CHRISTIANIA,- NORWAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented llIay 16, 1922.

Application filed December 31, 1918. Serial No. 269,164.

To all @07mmy t may concern Be it known that I, FRID'rJor NinLsnN BRNDHY. a subject of Norway, and a resident of Christiania. Kingdom o't Norway, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Ignition Mechanism tor Hand Grenades, Projectiles.l and Mines, for

-which I have tiled an application in Norway July 27, 1917 and ot which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ignition mechanisms for hand grenades'. projectiles and mines and the object of the invention is a mechanism which will cause ignition of the explosive charge et the projectile in question independent of the position of the projectile on striking the ground or other ob- 'ect.. J My ignition mechanism broadly consists of an ignition piston and a rod at one end provided with a head and pivoted at the other end in a manner to be capable of making oscillations of a pendulum in all directions and of sliding towards the ignition piston in its longitudinal direction. In the normal position the end of the rod almost touches the end of the ignition piston. These ends are preferably both concave and are connected by an intermediate link such as a ball er similar object.

The rod is 'further provided with a slidable weight which is pressed against the head oit the rod and is kept in thisposition by means ot a spring which Vhowever in-its normal position has no operative tension. If the grenade or projectile strikes with its head'iirst the slidable weight will press the rod towards the ignition piston and this will ignite the charge. It striking-.takes glace with the other end first the slida'ble weight will compress the spring which on recoiling i will force the weight 'forwardly again to press the rod toward the ignition piston and ignition will take place. Il? side striking takes place the rod will act as a pendulum, the weight pressing the pendulum to one side. The concave ends of the rod and the ignition piston vin connection with Vthe intermediate link will rvthen act asa wedge and move the ignition piston to cause ignition.

My ignition mechanism is further provided .with a safety device in order to prevent pretion toa projectile to be fired from the end .registration with' the pin 11.

the head of the ignition piston and thus prevents the latter from moving, the other end oi" the pin being held in position by a stop. Until this stop is removed the pin cannot leave the groove in the ignition piston and consequently no ignition can take place.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this application a specific exampie oi? my invention is illustrated.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal central section of the invention embodied in a hand grenade.

F ig. 2 is a similar, section broken away and illustrating the adaptation of the invenof a rilie.

The ignition piston 10 is provided with a groove 1 and is normally held in position by the pin 11, one end of which normally eX- tends into the groove. The piston is further provided with a'spring 12. A steel ball 18 forms the lintermediate link between the concave ends of the ignition piston andthe rod or ignition hammerv l1. This rod 4 is provided with a weight4 3 which may slide along the rod and which is normally heldin position tight to the head oi the rod by the spring 5. The rear end ot the rod 11 is pivoted at the rear portion of the grenade body 7.l This pivoting is eiiected by the end of the rod lbeing inserted ina well 15 there located. Y

The pin 11 is normally held in the groove r1 by a stop 6 which is of resilient material.

and the rearward end 16 of which by reason of its spring tension presses against an annular lflange 17 `formed on the forward end of the handle 2 of the grenade. Intermediate of the sto-p an aperture 2-1 for subsequent The handle ot the grenade is normally lockedin a safety position with the body of the grenade by' a pin 9 which must be removed before the grenade is used. A coil spring 8 surrounds the forward portion of the handle and has one end abutting against the aforesaid iiange and the other end against the rear ot the grenade casing 13, 141.

The explosive charge 21 is carried in the forward part 13 of the said casing, within which is suitably mounted a detonator 2O in explosive relation with a percussion charge 19 mounted in advance of the ignition piston 10 in a position to be detonated thereby on forward movement thereof in re- 1.10

ico

.with its side.

the stop G will move past the flange 17 and,

on account ol its tension, will spring inwardly in front .o'li the Piange. When the grenade has left the hand and thespring 8 Vrecoils the liange 17 moves the stop G` vforwardly until the aperture Q4 is in registrad tion with the pin. rIhus the pin 11 will be released. This pin will howevernot move until the grenade strikes. Then the following cases are possible: 1 :The grenade strikes with the shaft up. 2: rIhe grenade strikes with the shaft down. 3 The grenade `strikes fl: The grenade strikes in an intermediate position.

In these cases my mechanism will act in the tt'ollowing manners. l Y

1. The impact of the weight 3 will press down the piston into the percussion cap 19 and` cause ignition of the detonator Q0 and rthe explosive charge 21.

2. The impact of the weight 3 will compress the spring V5 onthe recoil of which the weight will hit the head of the rodl and press the piston into tliepercussi'on cap.

8. The rodl 4c will act as a pendulum, the weight 3 pressing it to onepside. Ihe concave ends of the rodY and the piston in connectionV withV the steel ball 18 will then act as a wedge and press the piston into the percussion cap.

4;. VThe piston will be pressed into the per cussion cap by a combination of the above described actions.

In above specific illustration ot'- my invention I have only described the use oi-"i my ignition mechanism in a hand grenade. The ignition mechanism will however act in exactly the same manner it the grenade is used as a rifle grenade oi' 'as thevprojectile of a bomb thrower. I then prefer to'pijovide the grenade with a hollow tail 22 and steering vanes 23. The tail may be temporarily attached vtov the barrel of a rilie orV preferably may be providedwith a steel tube itting tightly inside the tail, and'being attached to the rifle barrel, thus serving as a prolongation ofthe barrel; Ill-hen firing the expanding gases will push the 'body of the grenade forward in respect to the handle,V the movement of which is retardedby` inertia, compressing the spring 8 and 'thus' movingforwardithe stop 6 in the same maiiner as when the grenade is thrown-.by hand. The above described rifle grenadel may lfurther be used as a bomb in any commonly used type of bomb' thrcwer, itlbeing possible to vary the size ot' the grenade or bomb as desired.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding and no undue limitationv should be deduced therefrom but the appendedy claims should be construed as broadly as permissible in view ofv the prior art.

lVhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In an ignition mechanism 1for a fuse, the combination ot a movable iiring member, an actuating member therefor, the iiring member and actuating member having on adjacent ends broad heads coacting with each other and they actuating member being mounted vfor a swinging movement around its. opposite end, a weight slidably mounted on the-actuating member, and a liring spring normally holding the weight aga-inst stop on the actuating member and towards the firing member.

2. In an ignition mechanism for a fuse, the combination of aiiring memberinovable to effect explosion of the fuse, an actuating),` member for effecting said movement pivot-ally connected with the fuse at one end, a linlr intermediate the firing member and actuating member, and a weight mounted inoperative connection with but movable in relation to the actuating member and eifective to cause a pendulum movement of ythe last namedV member whereby the tiring VVmember is caused to function.

Ignition mechanismfor hand grenades, projectiles and mines comprising the combination of a percussion cap, an ignition piston the end of which is concave, and an ignition hammer pivoted at one end, the other end being concave andconnected with the ignition piston by means oit a ball` which inconnection with the concave ends of the ignitionhammer andthe ignition piston by side strikingy will act as al wedge' and tor-ce the ignition piston into the percussion cap.

A4; Ignition mechanism for hand grenades, projectiles and mines comprising the combination of a percussion cap, an ignition piston the end or' which is concave, and an `ignition hammer pivoted at one end and provided with a slidablev weight bearing against the head' of the hammer and being kept in position by a spring which when pressed down by saidweight will. recoil and `thereby move the ignition hammer towards the ignition piston and force said piston into the percussion cap, the head oi said hammer being concave and being connected with the concave endv oisaid-'piston by means of a ball' which in connection with said concave ends of:v the ignitionfhammer and'ignition-,piston by side strikingfwill act as ai wedge andv force saidt piston into the percussion cap.

5.. Ignition-mechanism,for handigrenades,

projectiles and mines comprising the combination of a percussion cap, an ignition piston the end of which is concave, and an ignition hammer pivoted at one end and provided with a slidable Weight bearing against the head ot the hammer and being kept in position by a spring which when pressed down by said weight will recoil and thereby move the ignition hammer towards the ignition piston and force said pist-on into the percussion cap, the head of said hammer being concave and being connected with the concave end of said piston by means of a ball which in connection With said concave ends of the ignition hammer and ignition piston by side striking Will act as a Wedge and force said piston into the percussion cap, said piston being normally held in position by a pin catching in an annular groove in the piston, the other end of the pin bearing against a stop Which is automatically pushed aside before striking of the projectile. Y

6. Ignition mechanism for hand grenades, projectiles and mines comprising the combination of a percussion cap, an rignition piston the end of which is concave, and an ignition hammer pivoted at one end and provided with a slidable Weight bearing against the head of the hammer and being kept in position by a spring which When pressed down by said Weight will recoil and thereby move the ignition hammer towards the ignition piston and force said piston into the percussion cap, the head of said hammer being concave and being connected with the concave end of said piston by means of a ball Whichv in connection with said concave ends of the ignition hammer and ignition piston by side striking Will act as a Wedge and force said piston into the percussion cap, said piston being normally held in position by a pin with al conical end catching in an annular groove in the piston, the other end of the pin bearing against a stop which is automatically pushed aside before striking of the projectile.

7. Ignition mechanism for hand grenades, projectiles and mines comprising the combination of a percussion cap, an ignition piston the end of which is concave7 and an ignition hammer pivoted at one end and provided with a slidable Weight bearing against the head of the hammer and being kept in position by a spring Which when pressed down by said Weight will recoil and thereby move the ignition hammer towards the ignition piston and force said piston into the percussion cap, the head of said hammer being concave and being connected With the concave end of said piston by means of a ball which in connection with said concave ends of the ignition hammer and ignition piston by side striking Will act as a Wedge and force said piston into the percussion cap, said piston being normally held in position by a pin With a conical end catching in an annular groove in the piston, the

.other end of the vpin bearing against a stop which is automatically pushed aside by recoiling of a spring Which is pressed down When the projectile is launched.

Signed at Christiania, Norway, on this 8th of August, 1918.

FRIDTJOF NinLsnN BRNDBY. 

